We are always looking for church-related pictures to share with the congregation. Submit them to LLowry@104.237.132.142.
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We want to provide support in your time of need!
Health regulations prohibit the clergy from being informed when our parishioners are in the hospital, so we will not know if you or someone you love is there unless you tell us. W e want to provide support in any time of need or crisis.
Please call the parish offices at 259.1570 or email
February 4, Alva Casey, Allison Decelles, Richard Hadlow, Michael Lykes, Caleb Rugg, Christopher Stewart, Henry Wiley, Jeffrie van Loveren
February 5, Meredith Fulford, Kari Power, Kevin Rowe, Elise Whiteley, Lucas Wiegand
February 6, Marion Gustin, Barbara Hendry, Joseph King, Jane Lowry, Byrne Marston, Tatiana Paula, Eleanor Smith
February 7, Mary Giddens, David Kenyon, Isabella Kirkpatrick, Marjorie McDuffie, Bear Nicola, Hansen Rix
February 8, Patricia Richards, Matthew Richardson, Gwyneth Willis
February 10, Kay Nolan, Peter Orebaugh, Sarah Thompson
Sunday’s Scripture Snippet
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.
Jeremiah 1
Breaking News
If an Angel Asked, Would You Give Up Toothpaste and Old Shoes for Lent?
Well . . . the Angel Closet at Faith Cafe is asking. And this February is your chance to join others at St. John’s who are helping to meet the needs of the men and women who come regularly to Faith Cafe for a meal. But the hungry do need more than food. And that is where you come in.
By dropping off clothing, shoes, and/or personal care items at St. John’s anytime during the month of February you can join with your fell ow parishioners who are working to make life a little better for those struggling to meet their basic needs.
What would help most? Most of Faith Cafe’s guests are men, so the greatest need is for men’s shoes, socks, underwear, tee shirts, and jeans. Slacks, shirts, sweatshirts, and hats are requested, too. All need toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, razors, shaving cream, soap and shampoo. Donations may be placed in boxes just inside the red door into the parish offices/school building.
Faith Cafe is operated by volunteers from the seven churches that participate in South Tampa Ecumenical Ministries (STEM). It serves lunches to its guests Monday – Saturday from its building located off Himes Avenue near I-275. For additional information, contact your STEM board representatives, Mary Jane Schenck at mjschenck@ut.edu or Sally Wiley at swileytampa@aol.com or 253.3906, or visit the Faith Cafe website at www.FaithCafeTampa.com.
Lenten Resources
Episcopal Relief and Development offers a Lenten Devotional book each year. The 2016 booklet encourages readers to actively seek the holy every day during Lent by reflecting on God’s call, their own lives and how they can live out their Baptismal Covenant by healing a hurting world. Copies of the devotional will be available following the Ash Wednesday services and the following Sunday. You may also download the booklet. Just Google “2016 ERD Devotional” and choose Lent – Episcopal Relief and Development. You may open the booklet at this point.
Pray As You Go is a daily prayer session, designed for use on portable MP3 players, to help you pray whenever you find time, but particularly whilst traveling to and from work, study, etc. A new prayer session is produced every day of the working week and one session for the weekend. It is not a ‘Thought for the Day’, a sermon or a bible-study, but rather a framework for your own prayer. Lasting between ten and thirteen minutes, it combines music, scripture and some questions for reflection. The aim is to help you to:
become more aware of God’s presence in your life
listen to and reflect on God’s word
grow in your relationship with God
It is produced by Jesuit Media Initiatives, with material written by a number of Jesuits, both in Britain and further afield, and other experts in the spirituality of St Ignatius of Loyola. Although the content is different every day, it keeps to the same basic format.
To download, Google “Pray-As-You-Go” and follow the directions from there.
Focus on Faith Adult Confirmation Begins February 7
By now you will have received a letter in the mail from Father Connelly about Focus on Faith. The program prepares adults for an expression of deeper commitment and faith. The format is a small group experience where participants learn more about the Episcopal Church and its beliefs. The program is designed to prepare adults for baptism, confirmation, reception, or reaffirmation of faith. It is also a time to connect with others on your Christian journey.
The program will begin after the annual meeting on February 7 and is led by Mother Alice Sadler, who will be joined by Father Connelly and Father Baker. Visitation for confirmation by the Right Reverend Dabney Smith, Bishop of SW Florida, is May 22. For questions or to register, call Mother Alice at 397.1005 or email her at asadler@104.237.132.142. Childcare will be provided.
Parishioners who will stand for election are: David Adams, Dennis Carr, Lynn Fluharty, John Marston, Ben Nelson, Jackie Preis, Lindsey Robbins, and Janice Straske.
Early voting, supervised by Vestry members, will take place following both the 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. services on Sunday, February 7, and during normal office hours in the parish offices during this week before the meeting. Voting by proxy is not permitted. According to our by-laws: “Only adult communicant members of this Parish, those who are 16 years of age or over, whose names are duly enrolled as such in the Register of said Parish, and who are regular in their attendance at its services and make stated contributions of record to its general support, shall be Electors qualified to vote at a duly convened meeting of the Parish.”
Events and Fellowship
The Annual Lincoln-Douglass Ball is Here!
With a Valentine’s Day theme, the Ball will be held on Saturday, February 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Embassy Suites Hotel – USF, 3705 Spectrum Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612. Individual tickets are $65. If you are interested in attending, contact Mother Alice Sadler at 397.1005 or asadler@104.237.132.142.
The Annual Lincoln-Douglass Ball benefits our partner organization Cornerstone Kids, an outreach project of St. James House of Prayer. The mission of Cornerstone Kids, Inc. is to reach at-risk inner city children and to assist in their educational, spiritual and emotional development in a safe, secure and nurturing environment.
Annual Icon Weekend Workshop
Philip Zimmerman, a well-known iconographer who teaches across the U.S. and in Canada, will teach a week-long class at Saint Leo Abbey February 15-19, his sixth at the Abbey. Each participant will write the retablo
Alma de Maria (Soul of Mary), pictured above, in Byzantine style, layering color instead of blending. All materials and equipment needed to complete the icon are provided: gessoed wooden board, prototype (pattern), paints, brushes, gold leaf and varnish. A gentle teacher, Phil will each morning explain what is to be accomplished that day, then demonstrate how it is to be done. He is patient and quick to lend a hand when necessary.
Men’s Ministry March Meeting: Advanced Heart Failure Care
The Men’s Ministry’s next meeting will be Tuesday, March 1, in the Parish Hall. The topic will be Advanced Heart Failure Care, as offered at Tampa General Hospital. Come hear about some amazing things that go on everyday just around the corner.
The guest speaker will be Dr. Benjamin Mackie, practicing advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist at Tampa General Hospital. Ben went to medical school at USF and completed his residency and fellowship at Emory. Click here for his full bio.
Ben will give a brief overview of Advanced Heart Failure services offered at TGH, including cardiac transplantation and different forms of mechanical circulatory support ” heart pumps.” There will be a question and answer period during which the group can also discuss any non-heart failure cardiac issues.
Please join us in the Parish Hall at 5:30 p.m. for fellowship time, followed by a fine meal catered by Holy Hog Barbecue at 6:00 p.m., and our speaker following dinner at 6:30 p.m. RSVP to Dallas Coffield at dcoffield@gmail.com
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Action Items and Opportunities
Kitchen Help Needed
Our resident chef, Dave Kenyon, is in need of assistance in the kitchen to produce the delicious meals he has planned for our Lenten series. The series begins on Wednesday, February 17, and continues for each of the five Wednesdays of Lent. Help is needed from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on these days. Please contact Dave at 404.5000 or davekenyon@gmail.com if you can help.
Sandwich Sunday Hosts Needed
Each month, we make sandwiches and bag lunches for the patrons of Faith Café to take with them after they eat a hot meal at the Café. We are in need of monthly hosts for 2016 on March 20, June 19, October 16, November 20, and December 18. Hosting means purchasing supplies (costs are reimbursed by St. John’s), helping facilitate the assembly line, and delivering sandwiches to Faith Café. If you are interesting in hosting on one of the dates, please contact Sandwich Sunday Coordinator Cindy Martin at cdmcasa@gmail.com.
Flowers Available
The flowers at the chapel altar are available on Sunday, April 3. If you wish to take this opportunity to honor a loved one and support St. John’s, please call the parish offices at 259.1570 or email parish@104.237.132.142.
This Week at St. John’s
Thursday, February 4
10:00 a.m.
The Holy Eucharist and Healing and Anointing (Chapel)
11:45 a.m.
Men’s Thursday Bible Study and Lunch(Peterson Room)
The Men’s Thursday Bible Study and Lunch group continues weekly. The readings the group will study are those from the Revised Common Lectionary for the coming Sunday. The group will continue with this pattern, reading and studying the lessons for the Sunday to follow, to better understand and absorb those readings and Sunday’s sermon.
Parking is available in the School’s parking area across Plant St. under the Cross-town expressway if the regular lot is full. Please do not park in the Four Green Fields parking lots. Lunch is sandwiches at $5 per person. RSVP to dlrncrtpa@verizon.net if you would like to partake.
12:15 p.m.
Noonday Prayer (Chapel)
Friday, February 5
12:15 p.m.
Noonday Prayer (Chapel)
The Soiree
St. John’s Church invites you to a Soirée at the home of Mary and Ron Hulse ( 4912 Lyford Cay Road) on Friday, February 5, at 7:00 p.m. Bring an hors d’oeuvre to share and a drink of your choosing. RSVP to Mary Hulse at mmhulse@tampabay.rr.com or
The Circle will gather for its annual cocktail party on Friday, February 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Steve and Lisa Sepulveda, 4423 West Kensington Avenue, The event will be co-hosted by Cary and Katey Brown. Make sure you are on our mailing list by contacting Kim French at frenchco@mac.com.
Combined Service: The Holy Eucharist (Rite II) (Church)
Sunday School for Children (Parish Hall)
Following the 10:00 a.m. service
Annual Meeting of the Parish (Parish Hall)
Monday, February 8
12:15 p.m.
Noonday Prayer (Chapel)
4:00 p.m.
Bible Women (Lowry Room)
The study group for Bible Women by Lindsay Freeman meets on Mondays at 4:00 p.m. in the Lowry Room. All women are welcome and each week is a standalone lesson. The book may be purchased from Forward Movement for $15. Please complete the noted readings and reflections. This week, February 8 we will study Lot’s Oldest Daughter (Lot is Abraham’s nephew). No need for prime time TV when you have characters like this family. Readings: Genesis 19 and Bible Women pages 40-43.
Tuesday, February 9
6:45 a.m.
Contemporary Women’s Bible Study (Peterson Room)
CWBS continues their study of the book of Daniel on Tuesdays from 6:45 to 8:00 a.m. in the Peterson Room at the School’s Middle Division campus. After conversation and a light breakfast (fruit & some type of bread) that members take turns bringing, the study starts at 7:00 a.m. and ends shortly before 8:00 a.m.; a few people may leave early if they have to go to work.
All women of St John’s and their friends are welcome; the current group includes several valued members from other branches of Christ’s church. They would love to have you join them.
For more information, please contact Kathleen Moore at 221.6253 or kathleenmarymoore@gmail.com
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Women’s Mid Morning Bible Study
This group’s focus for winter/spring will be the study of Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. They will continue using the study guide Paul, The Prison Letters by N. T. Wright. The group’s next meeting is Tuesday, February 9, and the discussion of Philippians 3:1 through 4:1 will be led by Kate Graves.
They invite all women of the parish and interested friends and neighbors to join them at 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. in the Church sanctuary (please note new location). They meet on alternate Tuesdays. For more information, contact Pat Wilson at patwilson68@tampabay.rr.com or 644.4640 or Joan McKay at mckayjhm@aol.com.
12:15 p.m.
Noonday Prayer (Chapel)
Wednesday, February 10: Ash Wednesday
7:00 a.m.
Ash Wednesday Liturgy and Holy Eucharist (Chapel)
8:00 a.m.
Lower Division School Service (Church)
10:10 a.m.
Middle Division School Service (Price Chapel)
12:15 p.m.
Ash Wednesday Liturgy and Holy Eucharist (Church)
5:30 p.m.
Ash Wednesday Liturgy and Holy Eucharist (Church)
Childcare will be available during this service
Wednesday Nights at St. John’s (Parish Hall)
No Meeting Tonight
The group will join Lenten Series attendees during the season of Lent beginning next week. Following Lent, the Wednesday Nights group will continue viewing “CHRISTIAN (It’s Not What You Think),” an eight-session video Bible study.
7:00 p.m.
Ash Wednesday Liturgy and Choral Eucharist (Church)
